The battle against HIV has been long and difficult. Why? Because the disease is complex…so complex that the human body has in-effect surrendered to the virus. It no longer fights back. This is one of the many reasons why a vaccine has been so hard to come by.

That's why OHSU was pleased to announce a significant step forward on Wednesday.

The Journal Nature published an article about research conducted at the OHSU Vaccine Gene Therapy Institute and the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Here's the paper. (Warning…pretty complex reading!)

In short, the OHSU researchers have developed a vaccine that shows promise in combatting SIV - the monkey version of HIV. One of the unique aspects of the vaccine is its use of a special viral vector (Translation: A viral vector is a virus that acts as a transport system). In this case, OHSU is using cytomegalovirus - a virus carried by most of us throughout our entire lives. This ability to "stick around" for so long is precisely why it might be a great way to battle the HIV over the long term.

In monkeys,the vaccine caused SIV to basically disappear…it can't be detected in the animals more than 12 months after vaccination. That's pretty amazing.

However, there is a lot more work to be done. The SIV findings in monkeys need to be translated to humans and human trials can only take place once safety is even more thoroughly investigated. This research breakthrough is a step…but there are many more steps to take.

OHSU's Dr. Louis Picker compares the search for an AIDS vaccine to climbing a cliff that no one has yet been able to conquer. Here's how he thinks this finding should be categorized in his words:"We still have to climb the cliff but now we have a path to follow."

Here's more of what Dr. Picker had to say in an interview earlier this week: